If you’ve ever been to a restaurant in China, you’ve probably noticed that they always serve either warm water or hot tea. In all the 18 years that I have lived there, I never once remember being served cold water unless I specifically asked for it. Why is that? Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that cold water disrupts the body’s natural body temperature, which then disrupts the body’s normal functions.
I’ll be honest, there isn’t much scientific research that actually backs this up. I know this because the stubborn 14-year-old me always tried telling my mom that this wasn’t a real thing. My classic response was always, “Water is water, how can it be bad for you?”
Since growing older and becoming more aware of my own health, I have realized how beneficial a lot of Chinese health practices are. I’ve noticed how young my mom and grandma look for their age, and how physically healthy my grandpa is for being in his mid-80s.
The explanation for this comes from the practices of traditional Chinese medicine, which says that if the regular body temperature is messed with, it causes discomfort to the body. This can take the form of indigestion, menstrual pains, or even lack of blood flow.
So even if you’re like 14-year-old me and simply can’t see how or why drinking cold water is potentially harmful to the body, at least give it a try. I now feel a huge difference in my digestion if I gulp down a glass of cold water instead of warm water, or sometimes even room temperature water.
I’ve learned to stop questioning the practices of traditional Chinese medicine and just listen to them, because the results are clearly visible and beneficial. China has a ton of health remedies, some of which are a little too bizarre for me to get behind, but not drinking cold water is simple enough to turn into an everyday habit that could end up benefitting your life very favorably.